The latest issue of Taproot is out in the wild now! Issue 30::FEAST is the last of our 2018 issues, bringing our seventh year of publication to a close. Seven years, oh my! I don't know how the time has gone by so fast, but I sure am grateful that this continues to be fun and inspiring for me, and each issue feels like a new project. I'm happy we've made it this far, in this tricky ad-free publishing business, and eager to see what year eight brings.

Ah, but first there is this issue to enjoy! It's full of all sorts of holiday goodness to make and give, and of course stories of food, farm, family and craft. See that last photo there? Yes, yes, having a piece about lunch box lunches was entirely self-serving. BUT! I can't be alone...

I have so enjoyed the pop up shops we've done at holiday time in past years! This year with a bricks and mortar store as well as having our warehouse all under one roof, we're able to keep the goods coming in and shipping out all year long! Today (December 18th) at midnight is our last day for US shipping to arrive by 12/24, though we'll be shipping every day after as well. (And our market on Cove Street in Portland is open Wednesday to Saturday this week!) It's such a delight to search for the makers and artisans that make the goods that fill our shop - it's a highlight of my Taproot work to be sure, to meet and be so inspired by all that creativity!

I've had some seriously awesome company as I've been sitting by the fire as often as possible of late, knitting away on holiday gifts! Annabel has been at my side constantly with her own knitting project, and Harper has joined in from time to time as well. A delight!

Being that it's mid-December and all....it seemed the season to pull out the super bulky yarn! There's the great standby of the Drop Stitch Cowl and this year, I was delighted to find Wrapt, a set of five hat patterns all knit in Rasta.

I've learned though, after all these knitting years, that I can't simply knit all day long as I'd like to, on the same project. That inevitably leads to carpal tunnel for me, and I can't bear the thought of a January with no knitting. SO! I'm mixing in a few smaller projects here and there to give my hands a break from the big needles. That seems to do the trick.

Are you deep in the world of super bulky knitting too? Or is your sewing machine busy these days (that's coming up next for me!)? Oh this making is just SO much fun!

My baby girl had a 'sick' day from school last week, with the lowest grade fever possible, but a fever nonetheless. I will confess to being happy to have a day at home with her...and I think she loved it too (and it just might have been the cause of said 'fever'). After shuffling everyone out the door, and with her big sister still sleeping she turned to me and said, "So Mama! What are we going to do all day?" Sweet pea. Laundry and washing windows did not sound exciting to her (nor to me), so we decided to dive into the holiday spirit. It's time! We cut up every piece of citrus to be found in the house for drying and making garland. And there will still time after that, so we made ourselves some salt dough ornaments too (using this recipe). I've done all of those things with the kids before, but there was something special and sweet about doing it with just my littlest. Luckily her raging fever held off (ahem) and kept her able to play 'decorate' with me all day long.

This weekend, in the tiniest window ever - between many Taproot events, skiing adventures for some, sleepovers for others, a band gig for another, and a million other big family life weekend details....we got our tree! That small window I carved out for us all just happened to fall in what surely was the coldest day of the season yet, in the last twenty minutes of daylight, and on icy terrain. As a result, I saw the most miraculous thing - all five of my kiddos (plus Cal's sweetheart) instantly and unanimously agreed upon a tree. It may have been the tiniest squatest one in the lot. But I love it....and of course them.

TogetherMade designs and manufactures high quality wood and leather craft kits - our goal is to bring families together to make beautiful, functional crafts from exceptional materials. Our kits are about the process and the quality time they create as much as they’re about a remarkable end result. These are the projects we always wanted to build with our kids (or build when we were kids...). Projects that inspire joy, learning, creativity, craftmanship, patience and pride in a job well done.

We are highly selective with our materials and all design and manufacturing is done in-house. All projects come with step-by-step directions. You’ll learn about working with wood and leather - sanding, staining, assembling, stitching, molding, etc.

This work is good for the mind and soul of adults and kids alike, we hope you love these projects asmuch as we do! All our kits are sold on www.togethermade.com. These kits are PERFECT as gifts or todo with the kids over the winter break!

SouleMama: Welcome to sponsorship on SouleMama! Please tell us about the beginnings of your business, and how you've come to be where you are now?

I started developing TogetherMade late 2017 and launched the store in March of 2018. The inspiration for this business was my experience making wooden jig saw puzzles and other homemade wooden craft projects with my three kids. The joy and pride they had and their enthusiasm and patience making these projects with me was such a positive experience that I wanted to find a way to make that experience possible/easier for others (without the overhead of tools and shopping and planning…) When I looked around the marketplace there were really no high-quality craft kits, so we felt like TogetherMade had a place to blossom and took the leap. Check out all our kits on www.togethermade.com. We have an option for all ages and we also donate a project for every kit we sell.

USA Made | Family Owned.

This weekend, TogetherMade is generously offering the following gifts to TWO lucky SouleMama readers:

We are offering two projects, one woodcraft and one leathercraft.

The Woodsman Kit ($22) is a wooden folding toy pocket knife kit with a functional locking blade. The kit contains 16 parts including two colors of stain, and sandpaper. You can make this kit with kids from 3 up and each age group and child get something different from the experience – the one common experience is JOY. We’re also giving away one of our Japanese flush cut saws (+$15) with this Woodsman Kit.

The Lumberjack Card Wallet Kit ($30) is a sewing project that produces a beautiful and functional card wallet (this is my everyday carry wallet). The kit includes everything you need to sew the wallet, but also has a custom leather slicker to burnish the edges AND oil to finish the wallet and give it a super pretty / aged look. This project is a great intro to leathercraft. We’re going to include the optional Awl (+$7) with this Lumberjack Wallet Kit.

ALSO we’re giving away a FREE bow saw ornament kit with the code SOULEMAMMA through xmas. Make sure to put the $5 ornament kit in your cart and the code will make it FREE.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To enter today's giveaway, leave a comment below (one entry per person, please). Comments will close by 9 am EST on Monday. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced in this post shortly after. Comments closed. The winners are...

We’re a small, family endeavor, located in lovely, snowy Maine. Fabula Nebulae is all-natural skincare (and some other good stuff!), carefully and lovingly handcrafted by our family - for you and yours. Our creations all came about because of a problem or a request - every product has a story!

We begin with in-depth research and source only high-quality ingredients. After slowly infusing extra-virgin olive oil with healing herbs, we add nourishing butters and other awesomeness to complete our concoctions. Feedback from a multitude of testers ensures that the final result is of unsurpassed quality, safe, all-natural, and effective!

SouleMama: Since the last time you were featured on SouleMama, in what ways has your business grown or changed? Is there anything new you'd like to tell us about?

We are so thankful for the enthusiasm and support our little venture has received! As we've continue to grow and add new creations and collections to our line, we’ve also undergone a bit of a makeover in our third year! Our products are simple, effective skincare made for everyone in the family - from littlest to oldest, for women and men alike. We wanted our logo to better reflect that, and we’re delighted to share our new look!

This weekend, Fabula Nebulae is generously offering the following gift to TWO lucky SouleMama readers:

We invite you to browse our shop - two winners will be able to indulge with the help of a $50 gift card!

In addition, Fabula Nebulae is offering all fellow SouleMama readers will get 20% off, now through December 17 with the code CALMHOLIDAY.

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To enter today's giveaway, leave a comment below (one entry per person, please). Comments will close by 9 am EST on Monday. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced in this post shortly after. Comments closed. The winners are...

I did a fair bit of gift knitting this weekend, but I also snuck in some sewing. I couldn't help myself - with a stash of linen freshly washed and folded on my sewing table, the temptation was just too great. And to be fair - Ani could use some new pants. I've been picking her up at school lately, now that snow is on the ground, and finding her wearing whatever skirt or dress she has on for the day, on the OUTSIDE of her snow pants. Which means, with all the great outside play that she does during her school day, that the bottom half of her skirt is heavy, soaking wet, and covered in mud often too. "That can't be comfortable" I asked her one day. Why not tuck it into your snow pants? Or, better yet since you have leggings on, just take the skirt off when you put snow pants on? "It's fine!" she says. And while I believe her, she really doesn't seem to be bothered by such things, I did think it was time to put some more pants into her school clothes rotation. (That's an excuse for sewing, right there!)

The pants are the Parsley Pants, my newish favorite for littles. So easy and comfy too, I'm told by the kids. I paired those pants with the Wiksten Smock Top. I've had this pattern for a little while but not used it yet. Ani is on the very top end of the pattern sizing, so I thought, short of scaling the pattern, this would be my last chance to make it for her. I made the largest - size 5-6 - and it's plenty big enough for her, whom I usually go with a size 7 for. The pockets on this top are SO adorable and surely functional too (I can't wait to see what's in them at the end of the day!).

She was happy to wake up to a new outfit this morning, and even patient enough to let me take photos of her wearing it at the crack of dawn, as soon as the light was out, and just before she hopped in her brother's car for a ride to school. Oh, these growing babies! I'm just so happy to sew for her for as long as she'll let me!

Root & Star is a beautiful, ad-free magazine for children. We bridge the gap between quality children’s books and the ephemeral magazine form, showcasing contemporary artists, fresh poems, funny comics, and nature-based wonderings. We hope that when you reach the end of the magazine, you feel more peace and joy, and a deeper connection to your ROOTS and to your STARS.

The idea for Root & Star magazine started when my young daughter raced into my studio squealing because she got junk-mail with her name on it. Laughing, I realized that I could gather enough creative people to curate a thoughtful, intentionally made magazine that we could mail to children and their caregivers. Sometimes the most exciting moment of the day is when the mail comes!

We believe that in this world we can raise children who are authentic, creative, and emotionally aware, and Root & Star is a magazine that models that authenticity, creativity, and emotional intelligence. We are lucky that we get to make something that we believe in, and that we get to collaborate with great minds and hearts all over the world. We are lucky that each day we can push for beauty and experimentation, and that we can challenge ourselves to approach each page as a work of art.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.SouleMama: Since the last time you were featured on SouleMama, in what ways has your business grown or changed? Is there anything new you'd like to tell us about?

Courtney: I started the magazine partially because I felt like a tired mother of a two-year-old and a four-year-old, and I wondered if other parents also needed a burst of inspiration to help remind them that, while many moments can feel banal, they really do matter and are inherently sacred. And now my children are six and eight years old, and they are actually a crucial part of making this magazine. They are the first ones to hear when I am struggling to make a piece of art, and when I am excited to include a great artist or writer in the magazine; they are the first ones to hear a story I’m thinking of including, and they let me know if it’s too scary or where they lose interest, and what they love, and why. And, as always, they help me to add humor when I forget! It is a great privilege to get to learn from them.

I believe that childhood is a formative time that we carry with us all our lives, and I want children to carry beauty and love! I draw from the raw creativity and wisdom of children, including memories of my own childhood. I love to get to showcase artists and writers who embody this wild mission, and I am forever honored to get to include their meaningful and exciting work.

Unlike other children's magazines, we ship out our first issue the very day that you subscribe. It makes a perfect gift for the holidays.

This weekend, Root & Staris generously offering the following gift to ONE lucky SouleMama reader:

A free subscription to one lucky reader (six issues per year--fun and meaningful mail with your child's name on it)!

In addition, Root & Star is offering 10% off the whole shop (including cards, calendars, and other gifts) for all inspired by Soulemama, now through January – discount code: SOULEMAMAROCKS (because she does!)

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To enter today's giveaway, leave a comment below (one entry per person, please). Comments will close by 9 am EST on Monday. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced in this post shortly after. Comments closed. The winner is...

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Greetings! I'm Amanda Blake Soule - mother of five, author of three books on family creativity, and editor-in-chief of Taproot Magazine. I live with my family in an old farmhouse in Western Maine where we raise animals, grow vegetables and make lots of things. I write about it all here on the blog. Thank you for visiting!